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As he flew from Columbus to Washington on Tuesday afternoon with three House Republican colleagues,
Rep. Paul Gillmor was his typically cheery self, telling them how much he enjoyed boating with his
family during the August recess.

Less than 24 hours later, Gillmor, 68, was dead in his Washington-area apartment,
stunning both political allies and rivals of the 10-term Republican congressman and onetime Ohio
gubernatorial candidate. Police at the scene indicated the death appeared to have been of natural
causes, but no details were available last night.

"He was a gentleman of this House," Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, said of Gillmor.
Rep. Ralph Regula, R-Navarre, called him a "person who cared about the people of Ohio."

Flags were lowered to half-staff over the U.S. Capitol as Republicans and
Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, flooded to the House floor to hail the memory of
the Tiffin Republican who shied from publicity and made friends in both parties.

Gillmor's death marks another loss of a veteran Ohio GOP representative, following
Deborah Pryce (leaving after her current term), Rob Portman (left to take a White House job) and
Bob Ney (in federal prison) in recent years. No one wanted to speculate about a potential
successor.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, announced Gillmor's death to
lawmakers on the House floor about 1 p.m. At 2:24 p.m., the House held a minute of silence.

"Nobody disliked Gillmor," said Rep. David L. Hobson, R-Springfield, one of the
lawmakers who accompanied him on his last flight to Washington.

Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Township, who sat next to Gillmor on the flight, said he
was in "a great mood," not displaying any sign of health trouble. Tiberi said he saw Gillmor on
Tuesday night and he was his "normal, jovial, friendly self."

But after casting a vote Tuesday evening, Gillmor failed to show up at his office
yesterday morning. Two of his aides went to his apartment in Arlington, Va., where they discovered
his body.

Arlington police at the scene said there were no signs of foul play,
according to Gillmor's office, which released a statement that said the congressman had passed away
while "doing the job he loved."

Under the U.S. Constitution, a special election will be called to fill Gillmor's
congressional seat. Gov. Ted Strickland will schedule the vote in the 16-county northwestern Ohio
district, according to Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Strickland, who served with Gillmor in the U.S. House, ordered all U.S. and Ohio
flags in the state to be flown at half-staff until tonight. He issued a statement describing
Gillmor as "a friend and a colleague," adding, "Ohio has lost a truly decent and devoted public
servant."

Gillmor was elected to Congress in 1988 in a close race. But thereafter he was
easily re-elected, winning his 10th term last November with 57 percent of the vote.

"He was one of the kindest people I ever met in politics," said Mark Isakowitz, a
Washington lobbyist who served as Gillmor's press secretary from 1989 through 1993. "He was
unusually calm and unselfish. He had a quiet common sense about him."

Gillmor served on the House Financial Services Committee and provided Republicans
with a solid, business-friendly conservative vote. But he could break from the pack, such as when
he became the first House Republican to call for the resignation of U.S. Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales, who announced this month he would step down.

Before his election to Congress, Gillmor's major ambition had been to win the
governor's office in Ohio. In 1986, as Ohio Senate president, he was widely believed to be the
strongest Republican challenger to Democratic Gov. Richard F. Celeste.

But he lost a three-way primary to former Gov. James A. Rhodes and state Sen. Paul
E. Pfeiffer. Celeste defeated Rhodes in the general election.

A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan who later earned a law degree at the University of
Michigan, Gillmor was one of the architects of the Republican takeover of the Ohio Senate in the
1984 elections.

From his perch as Senate president, Gillmor and the late Democratic House Speaker
Vernal G. Riffe Jr. forged a strong relationship, often meeting at night for drinks at the
Galleria, a former restaurant across the street from the Statehouse.

"They used to cut more deals over at the Galleria than at the Statehouse," said
Mary Anne Sharkey, who covered Gillmor and Riffe for
The (Cleveland)
Plain Dealer. "They had a great relationship. They worked extremely well together. Vern
used to joke that he worked better with Paul Gillmor than with Senate presidents of his own party.
He said that Paul was always a man of his word."

Tributes for Gillmor poured in from members of both parties. Sen. Sherrod Brown,
D-Ohio, who served in the House with Gillmor, said he "will be sorely missed in northwestern Ohio."
Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, described Gillmor as "a role model for all of us who serve in
public office."

Gillmor is survived by his wife, Karen, a former state senator in Ohio, and two
daughters and three sons.